


Bound by Memory

by Startingsanvers



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Idiots in Love, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Philinda Baby, Team
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29872674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Startingsanvers/pseuds/Startingsanvers
Summary: A few years after their days at the academy Phil and Melinda have a daughter and for twelve years she is their entire world. However Dani is no regular child; an accident leaves the young girl with special abilities, making her a target for anyone in search of power. Suddenly the young girl is ripped from their lives and the memories of their life with her and each other disappear too. They move on until a strange powered individual appears in their lives who changes everything. Season 3 AU.
Relationships: Clint Barton & Melinda May, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Maria Hill & Melinda May, Melinda May & Original Female Character(s), Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson & Original Female Character(s), Phil Coulson & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello peoples,  
> I've had this idea in my head for a while and have finally put it into print. This story starts Pre AOS for the first chapters and then merges with the AOS time line somewhere in season 3. The story still follows the AOS storyline but it is also an AU 
> 
> I have a few chapter already written and I hope to post regularly. I hope you enjoy and interact with the post. I would very much like to hear feedback it helps me get inspired.
> 
> Please enjoy

December 31st 1996 

Melinda May woke in the early hours of the morning to an unfamiliar sensation. She rolled over in her large king bed and began to shake her sleeping husband. 

“Phil, Phil wake up,” she sputtered as she shook the sleeping man next to her. 

After a few moments of being violently shaken Phil Coulson began to come to life. He slowly sat up exposing his wicked case of bedhead and his nerdiest captain america t-shirt. He turned to face his wife, who had a growing panicked expression.

“Phil,” she started, “I think i’m having contractions”. 

With that short sentence Phil silently sprung into action, leaping from the bed and pulling on a pair of jeans from the bedroom floor. He then made a mad dash to the bathroom, knocking a picture off the wall as he went. Melinda smirked and rolled her eyes at the sight. For a secret agent he really struggled to keep his cool sometimes. Melinda took a deep breath, slowly rising from the bed and making her way to the bathroom. 

Melinda loved Phil, but sometimes he could be a real mess. Melinda met Phil during her first month at the academy. She was 18, the youngest recruit in her year, and Phil was 21. Phil was a first year communications cadet and Melinda was on the fast track to becoming a specialist. Due to her parentage big things were expected from Melinda May and she was not going to let anyone down. She was handpicked at the age of sixteen when she caught the eye of Director Peggy Carter.

Peggy took a special liking to May and promised her that with her skills she was destined for greatness. So, when she graduated Melinda abandoned her original plans to go to college and work under her mother at the CIA and she officially joined Shield. Her mother wasn’t pleased with her decision at first but she understood why Melinda would want to pave her own path in life. A few weeks after her 18th birthday Melinda shipped out to train under only the best at Shield's coveted operations academy.

Phil's story was quite different. Whereas Melinda was primed for spy work from a young age, Phil never planned to be a spy. When a young Phil Coulson envisioned his life he saw himself with a simple life. He would teach history, get married, have kids and live the white picket fence life, but in reality that was not the case. Phil caught the attention of Nick Fury when his historical research started to reveal sortied Shield secrets. He immersed himself into the historical facts of Shield and its predecessor the SSR. Every aspect of the history fascinated him. One day a man in a leather jacket showed up at his door with a proposition that would change his life.

Nick fury offered Phil a chance to work for the same covert spy organisation he was so fascinated by. Phil’s first reaction was to say no. He was a history buff, a comic book nerd, he could never be a spy. However his tune changed when the mysterious man told Phil he was offering him a chance to put a little more good into the world, the man's words played to the overpowering sense of duty Phil always had inside him. Before he knew it he was crammed into a room with two dozen other communications cadets fighting for a chance to be field agents.

Ops and Communications were often mixed together for certain aspects of training. Out of a room filled with eager trainees Melinda happened to be paired with the biggest nerd of the bunch. He was clearly inexperienced and terrified of being picked apart by his fellow trainees. The instructors thought they would be a good fit. May was small and perceived as weak and Phil was a history buff who hadn’t ever thrown a punch. Little did the instructors know Melinda May had been fighting since she was 10 and had 3 black belts. They stepped onto the map and Phil smiled crookedly at the woman in front of him, she was beautiful.

Melinda eyed her opponent; he had potential but she could feel his nerves from across the mat. She made her advance, catching a glimpse of fear in his ocean blue eyes. For a moment she hesitated, his eyes were beautiful, but then her training kicked in and she had Phil pinned face down on the mat in about thirty seconds. From that moment and partnership and friendship bloomed.

May excelled at combat training, and Phil stood out in analysis, so they helped each other. Many nights were spent snacking and studying in the shared library between campuses or laid out on mats in the training rooms. No one could deny that they were the perfect pair. Well except May and Coluson. Their relationship was purely friends who stole longing glances when they thought the other wasn’t looking. 

By graduation day May was top of her class and ready to ship out on mission somewhere in Russia and Phil was headed to the Triskelion to work under Nick Fury himself . It was hard saying goodbye to her best friend, but a few cold months in Russia and a dozen missions later they reunited. Their reunion ended with May being trapped bobbing in a bay in Sausalito for five hours. From that moment on they found themselves working together more frequently and after that their story was fairly simple. 

Coulson and May finally got over themselves, admitted their feelings and were married a few years later in a small but beautiful ceremony officiated by Nick Fury. their family and small handful of friends were in attendance including Peggy Carter. Phil spent half of the day fangirling over the fact that Peggy was in attendance. Any other woman would be mad about being out shined on their wedding day, but for Melinda it only made her heart swell. She found the way that he fidgeted and tripped over his words when Peggy offered congratulations absolutely adorable. She also very much enjoyed the look on his face when she and Peggy conversed like old friends.

For a few years they lived their perfect version of married life. They worked their asses off and spent barley any time in their small but cozy DC apartment. The both worked out of the Triskelion and their careers were flourishing. Both Phil and Melinda were decorated level five agents and were on the way to becoming the power couple of shields. They were working together on undercover ops and organizing small strike teams. Their life was perfect until Melinda dropped a bombshell; she was pregnant. 

At first the news shattered their well laid plans. The both wanted kids and the domesticity and normality that came with them. It was just much sooner than they planned and Melinda was a stickler for her plans. Over time they figured it out and the couple were overjoyed at the prospect of growing their small family. It was obvious that they would have to make some changes to the plan, but they were alright with that. They would both stay working and the rest they would figure out along the way. 

When Melinda hobbled into the bathroom she found her husband on the floor scrambling to clean up a basket of toiletries he knocked over in his panic. She simply smiled kindly at him and placed her hand softly on his back.  
“Phil,” she said in a stern but loving voice, “why don’t we sit down and take a breath”.

Phil obliged to Melinda's request and slowly stood up moving across the room to where Melinda was now perched on the edge of the large bathtub. He sat next to her taking in her warmth. How on earth could she be so calm? Melinda smiled at him lovingly as she intertwined their fingers. The small gesture helped to calm his racing heart. 

“How are you not freaking out right now?” Phil asked, breathing heavily. 

“Because one of us has to be calm or the house would be in shambles,” Melinda replied, offering up a small chuckle. 

“I’m sorry about that.” he replied sheepishly, his cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. “It's just I thought we would have more time, it's two weeks early”.

“I know.” Melinda stroked the back of his hand with her thumb in soft circular motions. ”But you know if she is anything like me she wants to make an entrance”.

The thought of his daughter being anything like Melinda made him smile proudly. He could already picture the small child with her mothers eyes and fiery personality wreaking havoc in his life. He took a moment to steal a look at Melinda. Even in the early stages of labour and just having woken up, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She was the strongest and bravest person he ever had the pleasure of knowing. Why she chose to love him was still a mystery in his mind. The world did not deserve the wonder that was Melinda May and he would do anything for her. Smiling stupidly, he thought back to the day he met her.

Phil was a wide eyed communications cadet in his first weeks of shield training. It was early in training and he was already doubting his abilities. He wasn’t nearly as fast or strong as his fellow cadets. His commanding officer marched his group of trainees onto the ops campus for their first day of mixed training. He really wasn’t looking forward to training with the specialists. He heard rumours that the Ops cadets were ruthless and he really wasn’t in the mood to be torn apart. 

Phil distracted himself by admiring the campus architecture. He found his eyes wandering over to a group of trainees standing by the training building. Most of them were tall burly men who could likely kill him with their pinky finger. Near the center of the circle he caught sight of a woman. She was small, and she looked even smaller surrounded by the tall men. Her dark hair was braided to one side and she was smiling widely. It was the most captivating sight Phil had ever seen. She was beautiful and had a smile that could span across galaxies. He was so captivated by the mystery woman that he almost tripped as they marched by. 

Much to his surprise, later that day, he was paired with the beautiful woman he saw from across the quad. He vividly recalls stepping into the ring and feeling a swell of anger as the men in the room snickered when Melinda stepped onto the mat. The boys in the group figured she was weak, but May was anything but. May smiled at him and then proceeded to kick his ass. It was with his hands behind his back and his face pushed into the mat that he decided he would one day marry Melinda May.

Melinda watched as the panic drained from her husband’s face and was replaced by a warm smile. According to her research from where she was she figured it would still be quite a while before they would meet their daughter. She and Phil made their way to the kitchen hand in hand, passing by boxes that had not been unpacked. Phil set off to make pancakes as May settled into one of the bar-stools around the kitchen island. She would have never imagined she could be this happy. When she pictured the life of a spy she saw herself constantly moving from place to place and living out of crappy safe houses. This was so much better. Warm light seeped in through the large kitchen window, casting a glow throughout the room. 

Their house was truly beautiful. Phil and Melinda had decided that their cramped apartment may have been perfect for them but it was no place to raise a family. They searched for months to find the right home, but none of them felt quite right. One day they came across a decently sized property on the outskirts of the city. Melinda loved the welcoming feeling from the red brick and Phil loved the windows. The house was spacious and relatively secluded with a large yard. Perfect for a few kids and a dog. There was a large oak tree in the back yard with a branch perfect for a swing. It was home from the moment they laid eyes on it. They moved in almost immediately, but somewhere along the way unpacking had become an afterthought, so the house was still littered with boxes. They would get to it eventually. 

Melinda groaned at the feeling of a contraction, placing her hands on her swollen belly.

“You ok?” Phil asked from across the kitchen, his eyes filled with growing concern.

“Yeah I'm alright,” May assured, breathing through the pain. “I would love some pancakes though”.

“They are almost ready. Patience is a virtue love,” Phil said, placing a quick kiss on Melinda's forehead on his way to the kitchen sink. Melinda loved to watch as he moved around the kitchen. It was almost like a dance as he skilfully glided about the kitchen tending to the multiple dishes he was cooking. 

Phil served a platter of his famous chocolate chip pancakes and the couple sat down in the small breakfast nook. The pancakes were his mothers secret recipe and they tasted heavenly. Melinda held tightly to one of Phil’s hands and stared contently into his ocean blue eyes. 

“Hey Phil.” Melinda said, pulling his attention away from the food.

“Yes love.” He replied, shifting his eyes away from his plate to look at his wife. 

“Look at the date.” Melinda gestured to the Captain America callander across the room.

“December 31.” He smiled warmly. “She’s gonna be a new year's baby”. 

“Poor Beatrice. She will have to share her birthday with the biggest party night of the year.” Melinda joked.

“Mel for the last time we are not naming our daughter Beatrice.” Phil stated, feigning a look of disgust. 

“Why not it's your grandmother's name?” Melinda questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“Exactly,” Phil exclaimed. “That woman terrifies me. I don’t want flashbacks every time I call out my daughter's name”.

“Oh come on Phil, your Grandmother was very sweet the last time we saw her.” Melinda smiled at the tense expression on Phil's face.

“Yeah to you. I’m pretty sure she resents me for not being born a girl that she could dress up,” Phil huffed, running his hands across his face. 

“Fine I will take it off the list.” Melinda sighed, running her fingers comfortingly through Phil's hair. “What do you think we should name her?”

Phil perked up and said, “I've always liked the name Molly”.

Melinda stared Phil dead in the eyes and firmly stated, “She is our daughter not a dog Phil. There are four cocker spaniels named Molly in this neighborhood alone. Do you really want to call for our daughter and have a dog come running instead”.

“Alright fair point,” Phil agreed. “We really should have talked about this sooner huh?”

“I think we will know it when we meet her,” Melinda offered. “We can learn her personality and then give her a name”.

“That sounds perfect,” Phil replied, sliding out of his chair, picking up the empty dishes and disappearing into the kitchen.

While Phil cleaned up, Melinda made the necessary calls to her doctor. Her labour was progressing fairly slowly, so she was told to stay home until her water broke or her contractions worsened. She took the extra time to shower and ensure her bags were packed and ready. Her contractions really didn’t bother her too much. They simply felt like bad cramps and Melinda never had a problem with pain before.

After double checking her things she settled onto the couch with a book and a fuzzy blanket. A few minutes later she felt the couch dip and Phil's warm arms wrap around her waist. He silently nuzzled his head onto her chest and relished in the moment of peaceful silence. They sat quietly for an hour watching the light snowfall out the large living room window. This would be their last moment of quiet for the next 18 years. Phil rubbed slow circles on Melinda's back as he listened to her read out loud. The book was some cheesy spy novel that they loved to mock and call incorrect. 

“Do you think I'm going to be a good mother Phil?” Melinda asked abruptly, voicing the doubts she had been suppressing. Her biggest fear was that she would be a terrible mother and scar her child for life. 

“Oh Mel you are going to be incredible. There has never been a challenge that Melinda May can’t handle and this won’t be any different,” Phil answered sincerely , running his fingers through her silky hair. He meant every word. Melinda was already such a mom to the pack of young agents she mentored. She was kind and patient and compassionate. She would be the best mother 

Melinda smiled shyly at Phil’s words. Where did she find a man this wonderful? There was no other person in the entirety of the universe that made her feel as loved as Phil Coulson. He was goofy and nerdy and insanely selfless and kind. He always knew the right words to make her feel better. He was most definitely the perfect man, and she constantly wondered what on earth she had done to deserve him.

“You will be great too, you know.” Melinda said, sitting up and looking at Phil. “You have major dad energy”.

“I’m not sure whether or not that's a compliment.” Phil replied jokingly.

“It's a compliment, I promise.” Melinda answered, pulling him down closer and softly pressing their lips together. 

Phil deepened the kiss and pulled her in closer. He found Melinda May completely intoxicating. He slid his hand across the soft skin on her arm and breathed in the sweet smell of her lavender shampoo and the green tea she had with breakfast. Melinda giggled as he placed a kiss underneath her chin.

“Ticklish are we?” Phil asked, smiling dopely.

“Very.” Melinda replied, attempting to hold in a yawn.

Noting her yawn phil placed a soft kiss to her forehead and stood up to retrieve another blanket from the bin across the room. He gently laid the blanket over his wife’s small frame before leaning down to whisper softly in her ear.

“Get your rest, you are going to need it.” He whispered, turning away to pick up the book Melinda had abandoned on the floor.

Melinda reached out her arm to stop him from leaving. 

“Stay.” She whispered sleepily.

Phil placed the book on the shelf and then crawled next to her on the couch. Melinda immediately snuggled in tightly to Phil before beginning to snore. Phil stayed awake listening to her even breaths and the soft beating of her heart. 

When May woke from her slumber things began to get real. It was nearly seven o’clock and her contractions had become stronger and much less far apart. She sent Phil to get things ready outside while she gathered their bags. After getting everything in the car Phil offered Melinda a hand and guided her down the front steps of the house. The drive was eerily silent, filled only with Melinda’s sharp breaths and Phil's muttered words of encouragement. 

Melinda's water broke mid way through the drive and she silently thanked the fact they had taken her car. If her water had broken on the seat of Lola it's probable that Phil would cry. 

“Genuine leather Melinda, genuine leather!” He would whine dramatically .

Melinda turned her head towards Phil. He looked much calmer than he had just twelve hours ago. This was the version of Phil that could often be seen in the field. In his day to day life Phil could be a nervous disaster, but when it came to the important stuff he fell onto a state of calm. Melinda could see he was there now. His eyes were focused intensely on the road, his hands steady on the wheel. 

When they arrived at the hospital he handled the situation with ease. He carried their bags and held her hand the whole way. It took an hour and a half in busy D.C traffic to get to the hospital. Her contractions were now very intense. Melinda knew how to handle pain, but they were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Melinda held tightly to Phil’s hand as they walked laps around the delivery floor. She breathed through the easy contractions and clutched Phil's hand on the hard ones. They walked circles and made small talk with the other couples making their laps around the delivery floor. Phil used his effortless charm to get Melinda the best room on the floor and had already befriended multiple nurses. Melinda on the other hand was in no mood for friendliness.

After an hour of walking Melinda was really over the whole being in labour thing. She wanted to be done. She was hot and irritable and in an immense amount of pain. Her moments of pregnant bliss were long gone. She also wasn't really helping herself as she refused all pain medications the doctors offered. She was stubborn and she would not pump her full of chemicals. She would live with the pain like she always did. She wanted to just meet her daughter already. Phil was a saint through the whole process. He held her hand no matter how hard she squeezed, smiling softly and whispering just the right words into her ear whenever she needed it. 

“You know I really don’t get how women can say this is the most beautiful experience of their lives. I can think of at least four dozen things that would be more beautiful right now.” Melinda growled bouncing up and down on a light blue exercise ball. “Out of all the experiences in my life this falls somewhere between sucks and really sucks.”

“Just come out!” She groaned to her swollen belly. 

Phil chuckled watching from where he sat in a plastic chair in the corner of the room. He stood slowly and made his approach to the dishevelled woman in front of him. He carefully tested the waters, leaning down to gently massage her shoulders. When she didn’t push him away he settled in closer.

“Have I told you lately how bad-ass I think you are,” Phil asked sweetly.

Melinda groaned again as another wave of tightness radiated out across her stomach. 

“Hey here.” Phil offered his hand for her to crush.

“Thanks.” She said roughly, looking over her shoulder at Phil. 

Her bangs plastered to her face with sweat. Phil took his free hand and pushed the hair away from her eyes. Her face contorted with another wave of pain. She bared down and crushed Phil's hand in the process. He attempted to hide his grimace as he felt the bones in his hand become pulverized. 

After what felt like an eternity the doctor arrived. Melinda got settled onto the bed and the hard part began. 

“It is officially decided this falls under the category of really sucks,” Melinda moaned as another contraction hit. “I would pay for a nice easy gunshot right now or even a simple stab wound or maybe a kidnapping. That's always fun . 

The medical staff all looked at Melinda with astonishment. She forgot that civilians never understood the gory details, but she was too tired to care. Since it was Phil's fault she was here in the first place he could deal with the stunned doctors and nurses. Phil looked from Melinda to the medical staff, and smiled slightly.

“She is just kidding,” Phil said, avoiding eye contact. “We work for Shield. It's just a little spy humour”.

The doctor nodded nervously giving Phil a strange look and then he turned back to his task. Phil crossed his fingers and silently hoped his beautiful and bad-ass wife could keep her further thoughts contained or the doctors might have her committed. Sadly his wishes were not granted. 

“Damn it,” Melinda groaned, bearing all her weight on Phil's hand once again. For such a tiny person she was insanely strong. “This sucks worse than when being tortured for two days in Glasgow”.

At this point Phil no longer cared about the stunned looks on the doctors faces, and he simply joined in. the doctor instructed her to push once again and Phil added in his comment.

“But is this as bad as the waterboarding in Mumbai?” He asked, hoping to distract her from the pain. 

“No.” She sputtered through rough breaths. “Nothing will ever be that bad. I broke both of my wrists getting out of that one”.

“It makes for a good dinner story.” Phil chimed in.

“I suppose it does.” Melinda managed to mutter before releasing a loud guttural scream that filled the room. It took her a moment to even register that the sound came from her. All of the air was sucked from the room and Phil’s smile disappeared. Even after years of seeing Melinda bloodied and bruised he had never heard her make a sound so gut wrenching. He wished he could do something, make the pain go away, but all he could do was offer his hand to be crushed. 

Melinda cried out in pain once again, and after a few excruciating minutes she heard the soft wail of her daughter. The doctor slowly lifted the little girl and placed her on Melinda's chest. She was so small and squishy. May looked from the tiny baby on her chest to her husband towering beside her. A large smile was spread across his face and his eyes shimmered with tears. 

“She is so tiny.” Melinda barely muttered, her throat hoarse from screaming. 

Phil leaned down to better take in the image of his wife and daughter. They were both beautiful. His daughter was absolutely perfect and she knew in that moment he would do anything for the little girl on Melinda’s chest. 

“She has your nose Mel, she's perfect.” Phil said, his voice filled with a love he had never felt before. “She must get it from you”. He reached his hand out to brush the stray hairs from his wife’s eyes. 

Melinda chuckled, offering a tired smile. He was right, the infant was perfect. Melinda gazed at the small human squirming on her chest. She couldn’t wait to watch her grow. She couldn’t wait to hear her first words, take her first steps, throw her first punch. She couldn’t wait to spend afternoons at the park and nights on the roof watching the stars. Melinda had known her for less than five minutes and the small child already owned her heart.

“Hey Mel look at the time,” Phil nodded towards the clock on the wall. His hand clasped tightly with Melinda’s 

12:10

“Huh, happy new year,” Melinda chuckled reaching her head up for a kiss. 

Phil smiled down at his wife and newborn daughter and happily obliged Melinda’s request. Their lips met softly and only for a short moment before their daughter wailed and demanded their attention. Melinda grinned against Phil’s lips before turning her attention to the baby on her chest. Melinda gently stroked her back, making light shushing noises. Eventually the tears stopped. 

“Thank you for this Mel.” Phil placed a kiss to the top of her forehead.

“I had help.” She replied chuckling. “Love you”.

“I love you more.” Phil said, placing a soft kiss on her lips.”Both of you”.

From that moment on they were hooked. No matter what dangers would arise they had one thing they would always protect and her name was Daniella Lian May-Coulson.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this chapter is really had. I wrote it a while ago and its not my best work. please bear with me because chapter 3 is coming soon and I think it's going to be good. this chapter is pretty much just family fluff.
> 
> please enjoy

July 1997 

Melinda sat isolated in the cockpit of a quin-jet. She was on mission for nearly a month taking down a weapons dealer in Chile. She loved her work but the time away from home was growing painful. She was glad she was on her way home. 

She enjoyed the peaceful solitude of the empty cockpit. The crew knew not to bother her unless it was an emergency. Melinda loved the freedom of flying. Everything looked just a little more beautiful when covered with the haze of clouds. 

Flying was her safe place. Somehow when she felt the wheels lift off the ground her problems were left behind. She fiddled with flight controls before sliding on her favorite aviators to combat the rising sun. 

They were custom sleek black frames with her initials engraved into the arm. Phil gifted them to her when she got her academy flight certification. He told her every pilot needs a good pair of aviators. 

She missed Phil. This was the longest they had been apart in almost two years. She was hesitant to leave in the first place. Dani was still so young. She didn’t want to miss any of her daughters milestones and she truthfully didn’t think she could be without her for so long. 

Phil being the incredible man he was promised everything would be ok. They could survive without her. Melinda didn’t really believe that, but much to her surprise she had not gotten a call telling her the house burnt down. 

Her month in Chile was the longest of her life. She was paired with a young fresh out of the academy agent named Venessa Harwel. She was a good enough agent in May’s eyes . She was smart, quick on her feet. They made a good pair. They worked out of a crappy motel working surveillance on a cartel that was moving weapons and possible alien artefacts into the US. 

The days were long and tedious and despite how much she loved her job she wanted to be at home holding Dani in her arms. She loved her job and the thrill of being in the field, but surveillance was a bad excuse to be away from her family for so long. 

It took two weeks before surveillance came up with any usable Intel. Diego Santiago was a high level mob boss within the cartel. His gang had acquired an alien artefact that was being sold for big bucks to a buyer in the states. Their mission changed from surveillance to retrieval. They couldn’t risk an unknown artefact ending up in the wrong hands, so on the night of the weapons transfer they made a move.

The fight ended with a particularly rough fight on the docs and Melinda catching a knife to the chest. They completed their objective and were finally going home. She thought fondly of home. She could almost smell Phil’s ravioli cooking on the stove and the sweet sound of her daughter’s laughter bouncing off the walls.

A soft knock on the cockpit door pulled Melinda back to reality. The door creaked open and agent Harwel made her way into the cockpit.

“The science team has the artifact secure in holding and Headquarters has a team on standby waiting for our arrival.” Harwel stated.

“Alright radio in and tell them we're about four hours out.” Melinda replied, keeping her eyes on the sky.

“Mind if I stick around, keep you company?” Harwel asked.

“Sure .” Melinda replied. 

Harwel crossed the cockpit and took a seat next to May. They had spent a lot of time together over the past month, but they still barely knew each other. Neither of them were ones to chat. They worked in mostly silence and completed their mission. It worked best for them.

“So are you excited to be going home?” Harwel questioned, settings into the copilot chair 

“Very.” Melinda replied. “I love the job, but nothing beats a night in your own bed,” Melinda replied, smiling slightly at the thought of her bed.

“Amen.” Harwel responded with a slight laugh. “You have a kid waiting for you right?”

“Yeah Dani.” Melinda answered, picturing the face of her small daughter.

“Do you have a picture?” Harwel questioned further.

May reached down into her pocket, producing her wallet. She flipped it open and pulled out a small photo. She offered the photo to Harwel who took it gently. She examined the photo. Perched on her fathers lap was Dani. She was sporting a captain america t-shirt, a pink skirt, pigtails and a nearly toothless smile. 

“She’s cute. How old?” Harwel inquired as she handed the photo back to Melinda.

“A year and a half. That picture was taken a few weeks before we left. Kids grow so fast, I'm worried she’ll be different.” Melinda admitted. 

“We weren't gone that long May, I'm sure she won’t have graduated yet.” Harwel smiled at May. 

“Thanks.” Melinda rolled her eyes, her lips turning up slightly. “What about you, any big plans?”

“Yeah a long shower, goodnight sleep and then I’m back on mission tomorrow.” Harwel admitted.

“Already?” Melinda raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like to sit still huh?”

“No that’s not it I like being home just fine, but I've got no one making me stay.” Harwel smiled sadly.  
“I used to be like that, but then I realized if I wanted a good reason to stay I would have to stick around and find it.” Melinda offered, placing her had on Harwell’s knee

“Agent May I didn't know you were so soft,” Harwel joked.

“I guess after being married to Phil for so long I've picked up some sentimentality, but I'm not soft Agent Harwel.” May declared with a stare that could kill a thousand men. 

“I'm sorry my mistake,” Harwel said holding her hands up. “You are not soft. Not soft at all”.

xxxxxxxxxx

Phil pulled into his parking space at the Triskelion. He walked around to the back of the car to pluck his sleeping daughter gently from her carseat. He couldn't wait to see Melinda again. His month alone was one of the longest he had ever experienced. While he enjoyed the time at home with Dani he missed having someone to laugh at his jokes.

Whether it was sympathetically or genuine. His mom stopped by for a few days. She didn’t believe he could handle the small toddler on his own. After a few days he proved his mother wrong and convinced her he would be fine on his own. Eventually she agreed and set off home leaving Phil and Dani all alone. 

His days were filled with endless toddler babbling, crocodile tears, nap times and reading stories. Dani loved stories. She would crawl from her play mat on the floor over to the bookshelf where she would retrieve her favorite book.

"Oh the places you will go" by Doctor Seuss. Phil swore she made him read the book at least fifty times a day, but he had no problem doing it. From the moment she was born Daniella had Phil wrapped around her finger. They were partners in crime from day one. 

“Dani,” He whispered gently “It's time to wake up, we’re going to see mama”.

Hearing the word mama Dani began to perk up. She sat up in her car seat and stretched before turning to look at Phil. Her brown eyes filled with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. 

“Mama?” she questioned, her face scrunched.

“Yeah mama is coming home today.” Phil said smiling at the drooling child. 

“Yay! Mama!” Dani squealed, clapping her hands a few times. Suddenly her expression became stoic and she demanded, “Out daddy”.

“Patience angel eyes patience.” Phil muttered as he undid her buckles and lifted her from the seat. 

“Impatient just like your mama.” He chuckled into her ear, which elicited a death stare from the little girl that he could only categorize as strictly May. 

The stare was so much like Melinda’s it actually struck a little bit of fear in his heart. He hoped the more Coulson side of her would emerge soon or he would have his hands full. One copy of Melinda May was already a handful; he wasn’t sure he could handle two. 

Still holding Dani he grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat and began the long trek from the parking lot to the front entrance. The building was bustling with agents running about their routines. Phil scanned his ID and proceeded to the elevator. 

He chatted with passing agents in the hallways, while making his way to his office. He switched on the light and gently laid Dani on the soft white carpet. Dani huffed when her body contacted the ground and she glared at him impatiently. 

“Daddy has a few things to do before mama gets back. Here play with cap.” He produced a Captain America action figure from his backpack and handed it to the small child. She happily took the toy and stuck his head in her mouth. Phil grimaced at the mistreatment of his favorite hero.

Dani played contently on the floor while Phil typed up reports on his computer. Every so often he would pry his eyes away from the computer to make silly faces at Dani. The small girl would giggle loudly for a moment and then turn her attention back to her action figure. After an hour of vigorous typing Phil closed his report file, leaning back in his chair to stretch his back. He then picked up all the open files from his desk and placed them in the corresponding drawers. 

“Are you ready to go?” He asked Dani.

“Yes, up,” she answered, throwing her arms up and abandoning her action figure on the carpet.

Phil knelt down to pick up the drool soaked captain america. He grimaced as he wiped it across the bottom of his shirt. He slipped the action figure into his bag and then leaned down to pick up Dani. 

“Daniella we are gonna have to work on the treatment of collectables if you ever dream of one day possessing my collection,” Phil said as he hoisted his daughter into his arms. 

“No,” Dani replied confidently, before placing her small hand on Phil’s mouth. 

“No huh, we’ll see about that,” Phil said lifting up her shirt and blowing onto her belly.

Dani squealed and giggled attempting to free herself from her fathers hold. Phil spun her around in the air, laughing with the little girl. They spun for a few moments before Phil heard a soft knock on his office door.

“Come in,” he called, slightly out of breath. 

The door creaked in and Victoria Hand slipped in. she smiled at the domestic scene in front of her. Phil turned towards the door and smiled when he saw who had entered. Vic was a year behind him at the Comms academy and they worked together on quite a few projects. If asked he would call them friends.

“Vic long time no see. What brings you to the Triskelion?” Phil inquired, a charming smile plastered on his face.  
Victoria rolled her eyes “You know how much I hate being called Vic. However, to answer your question I'm on loan from the hub. Not to mention I needed to see it in person. Phil and Melinda had a kid!”

Phil chuckled and Victoria walked closer, closing the door behind her. 

“You sound surprised.” Phil chuckled. “What else would explain my absence from the field?” 

Victoria ran her finger across Phil’s desk. “Truthfully I thought you went and got yourself kidnapped or something”. 

“Funny Hand, very funny.” Phil rolled his eyes, propping Dani up higher on his hip.

“She’s cute, looks just like May. Lucky girl.” Victoria stated, making eye contact with Dani. Victoria stuck her tongue out and Dani let out a shrill giggle. 

“You're not wrong. Sometimes she reminds me so much of Mel it scares me.” Phil agreed.

“You make it sound like a bad thing.” Vic smiled, wandering towards the window. “In this changing world we could use a few more Melinda May’s”.

Still holding Dani on his hip he joined Vic at the window. Side by side they gazed out at D.C. “Not a bad view huh?”

“I've seen worse,” Vic replied with a smile. “The view from my office at the hub is still better.”

Phil ‘s pager buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, flipping it open and reading a text. He beamed at the words on the screen. 

Landing in five. Meet me at the runway. - Melinda

“What are you smiling about,” Vic questioned.

“May is home.” 

xxxxxxxxxx

Phil carried Dani on his hip as they manoeuvred through the busy halls and out to the hangar. The hangar was large and filled with different flying equipment. Dani’s tiny eyes widened at the sight of the different planes. She had obviously inherited May’s love for the flying machines.

Dani giggled and clapped as they watched a fleet of quin-jets in flight out the large open roof. He looked closely for the quin-jet with 14 painted neatly on the side. He beamed a little brighter when he caught sight of the jet he knew his wife was flying. 

Melinda flew into the hangar with ease and effortlessly landed the quin-jet. She went over landing protocols a little faster than normal. A month was too long to be away from her small family. Before exiting the jet she checked herself in a mirror. She looked tired. Dark circles had formed under her eyes and her face was smeared with dirt. She looked a little worse for wear, but she had looked worse. 

The team began to unload the acquired cargo and May grabbed her bag which contained her few possessions. She took a breath and then stepped onto the tarmac. Standing about fifty feet away she spotted Phil, standing smiling with their daughter on his hip.

Melinda made haste to get to them. Phil looked different. Instead of his normal suit he wore fitted blue jeans and a flannel button down. He must really be embracing the stay at home dad look. What was next cardigans? Dani spotted Melinda as she approached and began to squirm in Phil’s arms. 

“Mama!” She called, attempting to wiggle free, but Phil’s grip was firm.

Phil watched Melinda approach with a large smile spread across her face. She looked alright. A little tired and bruised, but that was expected. However she was still the most beautiful woman in the room. He took a few steps toward and pulled her into a hug with his free arm. She was warm and smelled like lavender.

Melinda settled happily into the hug. It had been too long since she felt a warm embrace. Phil’s arms were all the home she ever needed. She relished in the warm of his arms before turning his attention to the little girl in his other arm. Turning to Dani Melinda smiled widely. “You have gotten so big”.

“Mama!” Dani responded with an even bigger smile. She reached up her arms and Melinda scooped her up. Melinda hugged Dani tightly and Dani placed a slobber filled kiss on Melinda cheek. Chuckling, Melinda wiped away the slobber and gave Dani an equally wet kiss on the forehead.

“I missed you Dani bear.” Melinda smiled, breathing in the scent of her daughter. 

“Mama mama mama mama plane mama plane.” Dani babbled incoherently, sucking on her toes.  
“You ladies ready to go?” Phil asked, retrieving Melinda’s bag from where she had abandoned it on the concrete.

“Yup,” Melinda replied, bouncing Dani up higher onto her hip and offering Phil her free hand. He took it gratefully. “I can’t wait to go home.”

The drive was quiet and peaceful. The warm summer breeze blew through Melinda's hair. They luckily missed hitting major traffic and found themselves driving into their secluded area of the city in no time. Melinda waved at a few neighbours with her free hand, the other was still entwined with Phil's.

Dani had fallen peacefully asleep in the backseat. Melinda breathed a sigh of relief when the car pulled into the driveway. They gathered up their things and made their way into the empty house, Dani still fast asleep in Phil's arms. 

“Go shower i’m gonna put little miss down for her nap.” Phil said, placing his backpack on the kitchen island.

“Thank you Phil.” Melinda placed a kiss on his cheek and disappeared into their bedroom. 

It felt good to be home. She missed the familiar smells and comforting people. After her shower she tied up her hair and began to assess her injuries now that she washed away the dirt. Her cheek would be bruised and her lip was spilt from a particularly nasty punch she didn't see coming. She dropped her towel and began to assess her larger injuries. In the mirror she caught sight of her stab wound.

It was about four inches across and located along her rib cage. She hadn’t really looked at it when she hastily stitched it shut. She need a quick fix. There was no time to make it pretty. Reaching into the cabinet she pulled out a first aid kit, rifling through it in search of bandages. 

Phil entered the bathroom and caught sight of his wife tossing items out of the first aid kit and out onto the counter. 

“Looking for something?” he questioned, walking up behind her 

Melinda heard his voice and turned away from her mess. Phil’s eyes wandered down her naked body, but stopped abruptly when he noticed the gash on her stomach.

“Mel you’re hurt.” He hastily approached her, lifting her up onto the counter. “Let me help.” 

Melinda noted the fear in his voice. “It's just a small stab wound. More of a cut really. I’m fine Phil.” Melinda smiled reassuringly, placing Phil’s hand over her heart. “See still beating.” 

“Good.” Phil leaned down and rifled through the drawer for a moment producing another first aid kit. “Now let's get you patched up because no matter how much I love having you here naked that wound is starting to freak me out.”

Melinda smiled and rolled her eyes, lifting herself slightly to capture Phil’s lips with hers. The kiss started soft and sweet but Phil quickly deepened it. They both missed each other's touch and taste. Melinda wrapped her arms around his neck and Phil lifted her from the sink. It had been far too long since they held each other. Her skin was so soft and her hair smelled like wild flowers. 

They stayed like that for a moment, tongues fighting for dominance, until Melinda let up a sharp hiss and Phil stopped abruptly. He registered the pain on her face, placing her gently back down on the sink. Melinda groaned at the absence of his touch. It really had been too long. 

Phil started with a particularly angry cut on her forehead. He applied ointment and placed a small care bears bandage over the wound. “Care bears?” Melinda raised an eyebrow.

“I have Dora if that's what you’d prefer.” Phil said with a goofy smile on his face. 

“Nope care bears are perfect.” Melinda smiled back, giving him a short kiss on the lips.

Phil continued working his way down applying generous amounts of ointment on any cuts he encountered. This was an all to familiar process. They spent more time patching each other up than they did doing anything else. Phil’s hands became even more gentle when he reached the large wound on her side. It was obvious Melinda had done the stitches in a rush. The sutures were rough and jagged. The flesh was red and angry. 

It looked painful, but if Melinda was feeling any it was not registering on her face. Phil applied the ointment and watched Melinda’s face twitch slightly. He didn’t mention it and continued his work, placing a large gauze pad over the wound and taping it to her skin. 

With all of her wounds covered Melinda prepared to jump down but Phil stopped her. “Wait here.” With those words Phil disappeared into their bedroom. He returned a moment later with a pile of clothes in hand. “Arms up.”

“Phil I am perfectly capable of dressing myself.” Melinda protested, wiggling from his grip.

“Melinda May put your arms up now.” Phil demanded in his stern voice that he almost never used. 

Melinda dropped her protest and lifted her arms up so Phil could put on the shirt. His shirt. His captain america t-shirt. Melinda breathed in the earthy scent of Phil as the shirt passed over her face. His scent made her feel fuzzy on the inside. It was the smell of home. Phil finished dressing her and then offered her a hand to get down from the sink. Melinda denied his offer and jumped down herself.

“Oh I almost forgot.” Phil reached into his pocket, producing a silver chain. Instead of a charm two rings dangled from the chain. Melinda wore her wedding ring around her neck. In her profession rings mostly got in the way so she kept them on a necklace instead. “I kept them safe just like you asked”.

Melinda smiled lovingly at Phil, turning around so he could place the necklace around her neck. Melinda shivered at the soft brush of his fingers on her neck. She turned back to Phil, smiling blissfully. Looking down at her, Phil smiled sweetly. Together they exited the bathroom hand in hand.

xxxxxxxxxx

Melinda stood silently in Dani’s nursery, watching her daughter slumber peacefully. The little girl was curled tightly into the corner of her crib sucking on her thumb. Se was wrapped in a pink blanket and clinging to a plush Captain America doll. Thankfully the little girl hadn’t changed much in Melinda’s absence. She was the same tiny toddler she had left behind. 

Melinda often found herself watching Dani sleep. It eased her mind to know that her daughter was safely tucked into her crib. watching her chest rise and fall with her sleeping breaths gave her a sense of peace she couldn't find anywhere else. 

Melinda knew the dangers of the world and vowed to never let them touch her daughter. 

Dani wasn't like other one and a half year old"s. Daniella Coulson was the very thing the world feared. She was a powered person and that terrified Melinda. She was not afraid of what damage the little girl could cause, but instead terrified of what other people would do to get their hands on her power. 

Dani’s powers originated from an incident her mother encountered in the early stages of her pregnancy. Melinda was part of a mission in Russia. A laboratory was exploring the theory of particle acceleration being linked to giving individuals the ability to influence matter. The mission was a disaster. The experimental particle accelerator combusted leaving Melinda in a coma for a week. After she awoke the doctors tested for any abnormalities and everything looked normal, but the doctors never accounted for the child they didn’t know existed yet. 

The explosion decimated the lab, so the explosion mixed with the combusted fumes from the experimental drugs caused Dani’s gift. Dani was the only recorded case of Telepathy and Memory alteration. Her powers were only discovered when a babysitter left their home having not remembered the past six hours of her day. Phil And Melinda immediately began to search for answers. 

They only got those answers when they started to forget small things after being in contact with Dani. They took Dani to a secure Shield laboratory and found out the truth of their daughter’s unique abilities. Dani’s brain scans showed hyperactivity in areas of her brain that shouldn’t be active, meaning her brain had been altered by the explosion. With her young age it was hard to identify exactly what she could do. 

After talking with numerous scientists and getting every test possible they came to a conclusion. Dani was likely telepathic . Because she was not yet talking they could not discern whether or not she could understand what people were thinking but her ability to displace memories was considered to be connected to telepathy and being able to access others minds. 

The scientists fitted Dani a necklace containing the same power damping technology that would one day, many years from then, be used in Shields inhuman containment units.

From there every scientist, doctor and researcher alike were sworn to secrecy. Being the agents they were, Melinda and Phil had seen first hand what happens when people know about powered individuals, so they swore to keep Dani’s abilities secret. They would take no risks when it came to the safety of their daughter.

Melinda felt Phil’s arm wrap around her waist. “You're worrying.” Phil whispered into her hair.

“I’m always worrying, about Dani, about you, about us.” Melinda confessed. “There are so many bad things and bad people in the world. I don’t want to lose either of you.”

Phil shifted his body so he was looking directly into his wife’s eyes. “Why would you think that you would ever lose us?”

“Dani is special Phil. If the world knew they would take her and do god knows what. And as for you, our job is dangerous and one day you might go on mission and never come back.” Melinda curled in tighter to Phil's side.

“Mel,” Phil started, his tone serious, “Dani and I are fine. Our secret is well kept. You don’t have to worry about us because I know if anything happens I have the most badass wife who would chase us across the globe just to keep us safe.” Phil smiled sincerely and ran his fingers through Melinda’s soft hair.

Melinda cracked a small smile at Phil's words. She turned her gaze back to the crib, eying her sleeping daughter. She was still sucking her thumb, but was beginning to stir. “A month is far too long. What did I miss?” 

“Mellie you didn’t miss anything she is fine.” Phil replied using his latest nickname for his wife. “It was actually quite uneventful while you were gone. Except when my mother came to visit. I’m going to assume that was your doing.” Phil poked her in the ribs. 

“Hey!” Melinda squirmed away. “I simply suggested that in my absence you might want company and I was concerned that you might burn the house down.”

Phil feigned a look of betrayal. “I can’t believe you think so little of me that you sent my mother to babysit.”

“Hey I didn’t send I suggested.” Melinda smirked, her worry fading away to a dull ache. 

“Melinda May I spent an entire week with my mother watching my every move. You are so going to pay for that.” Phil said lifting Melinda and throwing her over his shoulder.

Melinda squeaked and clawed at Phil’s shoulders. “Philip Coulson put me down right now!”

Phil grinned wickedly. “No I don’t think I will ”. He reached his hand up and began to tickle the sensitive spot on the back of her knee. Melinda squealed and attempted to wiggle free but Phil had an iron grip. Melinda huffed and grumbled, realizing her escape attempts were futile.

“Giving up?.” Phil questioned. “If only the recruits could see you know. Big bad Agent May incapacitated by a few tickles”.

Melinda made a swipe at Phil, and just as he was about to attack her with another wave of tickles they heard a small voice from across the room. 

Dani sat up in her crib yawning widely and rubbing her eyes. “Mama? Daddy?”

Phil ceased his assault and placed Melinda back on the ground. She glared at him with a look that could kill. She made her way over to the crib and effortlessly lifted Dani into her arms. Melinda smiled at the small child. Dani’s brown eyes were wide with excitement and she clung tightly into Melinda, laying her head on her mother’s chest. 

“Book mama, read book,” Dani mumbled. 

“Ok which book?” Melinda questioned.

Phil walked over to the shelf, pulled out a book and offered it to Melinda. She turned it over and looked at the cover. “Oh The Places You Will Go”.

Phil smiled. “It's the only book she has let me read for weeks”. Melinda smiled and nestled into the rocking chair across the room. Phil settled by her side and Melinda began to read. “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to great places! You're off and away!”

Dani sucked her thumb while listening contently. About half way through the story she had fallen back to sleep. Melinda relished in the warmth of her daughter on her chest. This was the feeling she longed for the entire month she was gone. It was a feeling of comfort and safety. Sure there were many worries and uncertainties in her life, but in that moment she had everything she could need. 

She had her daughter, who she would do anything for, and her husband, who she loved more than life itself. Though the world was scary and filled with terrifying unknowns she had her small family, and that's all she could wish for.


	3. Halloween Pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! so this chapter is actually part one of two. When I was writing The word count for this chapter was reaching 10000 so i decided to make it two parts. I hope to release part two on the weekend. 
> 
> I really like this chapter and I hope you will like it too. Also I didn't have much time to edit this so there may be errors I missed. 
> 
> Please enjoy

October 1999 

_ Something felt off the moment Melinda awoke. She couldn’t quite explain what the feeling was. She reached out to the other side of the bed and was met by cold emptiness. With her heart rate elevated Melinda silently slipped from the bed. She padded over to the safe on the wall, typed in the code and grabbed her firearm.  _

  
  


_ She held out the gun and slowly opened the bedroom door. The hallway didn’t look disturbed. Holding tightly to her gun, she swept the bathroom and guest room without finding anything. To the regular eye it looked like nothing was wrong, but Melinda could feel it. It was a burning feeling in the pit of her stomach. The same feeling she would get on mission when things were about to go south. The floor boards creaked under her feet as she made her way to the last room upstairs. See eyed the flowers painted on the door as she slowly turned the doorknob.  _

_ She entered into the violet walled nursery where her young daughter should be fast asleep _

_ Her blood ran cold when her eyes fell upon the small bed in the room. The quilt was pulled back and the blankets splayed out onto the floor. Melinda’sb reath hitched when she saw that her daughter was missing from the bed. She spun around eyeing every area of the room, in search of the small brunette. Her heart broke when she noticed the open window. She must have forgotten to lock it. Laying on the floor by the window was a small stuffed brown bear. Dani’s bear, which she couldn’t sleep without.  _

_ Melinda’s heart pounded in her chest and her breathing was rapid. Dani was gone, taken away in her sleep. It finally happened. Their secret was out and someone had come to take her. While they slept someone scaled their house, climbed through the unlocked window and stolen her daughter from where she slept. Staring at the empty bed, Melinda sunk to her knees. A silent scream was caught in her throat. She was alone in the house, yet she still called out, knowing there was no one to hear her.  _

_ “Phil,” she called through ragged breaths. “She’s gone, she’s gone she’s gone”.  _

_ She’s gone echoed in her head while she sobbed into her hands. _

* * *

“Melinda,” Phil called gently, shaking her shoulder, trying to rouse her from whatever nightmare was raging in her mind. “Melinda, wake up”.

Melinda woke with a start, disoriented and covered in a cold sweat. Phil was staring at her, concern painted on his face. Melinda had a look of terror, while she attempted to regulate her breathing. Her dreams had become particularly haunting lately. It was always the same thing. Melinda would wake up and Dani would be gone and Phil would be nowhere to be found. She was alone.

A solitary tear slipped down her cheek. Phil saw the pain on her face and reached out for her. He wrapped his strong arms around her. On nights like this when the dreams were bad she always seemed so small in his arms. 

“Hey it’s ok it was just a dream”. He rubbed her back reassuringly. “I’m right here”. 

“Phil it felt so real,” Melinda sobbed into his shoulder. “I lost her. I wasn’t fast enough and when I woke up she was gone”. 

_ She’s gone. She’s gone. She’s gone. _

The pain in her voice caused Phil's heart to ache. In all the years he knew Melinda May he had never seen her like this. Sure nightmares came with the job, every agent had them, but this was different. Every night for the past two weeks Phil would wake to the sound of Melinda whimpering or thrashing in her sleep. Every night he would gently wake her and hold her while she came back to reality. Every night she would cling to him until sunrise, never falling back to sleep, too afraid to close her eyes. However this night was different. Melinda never cried, but now her tears were soaking into his shirt. He held her closely rubbing slow soothing circles onto her back. 

“Mellie everything is ok.” Phil gently assured her. “They’re just dreams. I’m right here”.

“Phil I’m scared.” Melinda admitted another round of silent sobs wracking her small frame. Phil held her close. He felt awful that holding her was all he could do to ease her pain. He wished he could take her pain and lock it in a little box and set the box on fire so she would never have to feel it again. If he could take all of her pain and make it his own he would in a heartbeat. 

After a few minutes Melinda’s sobs began to fade, but she still clung tightly to Phil. “Hey I have an idea,” Phil whispered into her hair. 

He moved to get out of the bed but Melinda’s grip was ironclad. He changed his tactic, lifting Melinda into his arms and standing up. Melinda rested her head on Phil’s chest, letting the sound of his heartbeat calm her. She felt movement as Phil carried them from the bedroom out into the hall. Phil softly stroked her hair as they made their way to the bedroom at the end of the hall. Phil opened the door quietly so he wouldn’t wake the sleeping child in the room.

Melinda breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the four year old, tucked safely in her bed. She was wrapped in her favourite Captain America blanket, sucking her thumb peacefully. 

“See mellie she’s right here. She’s ok.” Phil said quietly, kissing the top of her head

“She’s ok.” Melinda looked up at him, her brown eyes filled with relief. “She’s ok”.

_ She’s gone. She’s gone. She’s gone. _

Phil carried a now calmer Melinda over to Dani's bed. He gently laid her next to the sleeping child. Phil grabbed a spare blanket off the back of the rocking chair and placed it over Melinda before turning to leave the room. 

“Phil.” Melinda whined, reaching out for him. “Don’t go”. 

“Hey it’s ok”. He turned back to reassuringly kiss her forehead. “I just have to go grab something. I will be right back. I promise”.

Phil slipped out of the room and Melinda curled in closer to Dani. She was warm and smelled like strawberry shampoo. Melinda reached her hand up to stroke her hair while she examined her face. She committed every detail to memory. The soft brown curls that fell upon her forehead. The sprinkling of freckles splattered across her button nose. The soft curve of her lips into her soft cupid’s bow. She was here warm and curled into her side. She was safe and that was all she needed. 

Phil slipped into the room carrying a pillow and blanket. He placed the pillow on the floor next to the bed and lied down on the hardwood. He threw the blanket over himself and then reached his hand up to twine his fingers with Melinda’s. Her hand was warm against his. They settled in for the rest of the night, and for the first time in a while Melinda fell back to sleep. 

* * *

When Phil woke his back ached from sleeping on the floor. He sat up scanning the room in search of his wife. Dani was still fast asleep in the bed, but Melinda was gone. Even on her days off she kept her routine. Phil left Dani to sleep and crept down the stairs into the kitchen. Melinda was doing tai chi in the living room. 

Phil wanted to talk to her about the events of the night prior but he knew to not ask. In the wake of her nightmares Melinda never wanted to talk. She would go on with her life and not mention her dreams. Phil wished she would talk to him, but he didn’t want to make it worse by prying. So he put his worries aside and began to cook breakfast. 

He was halfway through making pancakes when Melinda made her way into the kitchen. She was dressed in a sports bra, black leggings and a sheer white tank top. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun. She looked beautiful. She wrapped her arms around his waist and stood on her tiptoes to kiss the back of his neck. “Good morning husband”.

Phil turned away from the stove and turned to face her. He gazed at her lovingly and leaned down for a gentle kiss. “Good morning wife”. 

“Are you sure you have to go into the office today?” Melinda asked with a particularly strong pout on her face. 

“You know I would much rather stay here and help you terrorize the neighbourhood kids with your Halloween pranks, but Fury insisted I be in the meeting. It must be important”. Phil leaned down to kiss her again but she turned her face away. 

“But Phil.” Melinda whined into his chest. “Who is gonna help me rig the animatronic clown into the bush?”

“Call Barton, he loves that stuff”. Phil flipped a pancake onto a plate and offered it to Melinda. “Here eat”. 

Melinda took the plate with a huff. “You know I hate you right”. 

“We both know that’s not true. You adore me.” Phil said pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head. 

“Ugh fine maybe I do, but just promise me you will back in time for trick or treating. Our costumes would look awfully silly without you.” Melinda smiled at Phil. 

“I promise your cowardly lion will be back in plenty of time.” Phil replied, a goofy smile plastered on his face.

“Good because if you are late you’re going to need to see the wizard for a lot more than courage”. Melinda stared at him threateningly. 

Phil rolled his eyes and was about to retort when he heard the soft pattering of footsteps on the stairs. Dani bounded into the room dragging her captain america blanket behind her. She ran around the kitchen island and jumped into her fathers waiting arms. 

“Good morning daddy.” Dani said with a toothy smile, wrapping her arms tightly around Phil’s neck. 

“Good morning angel eyes. What are you doing out of bed?” Phil questioned.

“I was too excited to stay sleeping!” Dani said excitedly. “Our costumes are gonna be so cool and we are gonna get so much candy.”

“Oh really?” Phil raised an eyebrow.

“Yep mama and I made a list of where the best candy is.” 

Phil smiled and looked over at Melinda, rolling his eyes at the fact that Melinda had a plan for trick or treating. She had a plan for everything.

Melinda noticed the look on her husband's face. “What Phil? Say it.”

“You and your lists.” Phil joked. “It's cute really”.

Melinda glared at him, rolling her eyes and shovelling a fork full of pancakes into her mouth. “I will have you know Phil that our list is to optimize the amount of candy we acquire.” 

Phil smiled widely at the look on his wife’s face before carrying Dani out of the room to get her dressed for the day. “Whatever you say Mel. I still think it's cute.”

  
  


A half hour later Dani bounded down the stairs dressed in her Dorothy Halloween costume. Her brown curls were pulled back into pigtails tied with red ribbons. She was wearing a white shirt underneath her plaid dress and sparkly red shoes. Dani scampered across the living room to meet Melinda where she was reading by the window. 

“How do I look mama?” Dani asked, jumping into her mother’s lap.

Melinda smiled brightly taking a moment to eye the small child up and down. “You look incredible Dani bear.”

Dani leaned up to place a kiss on Melinda’s cheek. “Thanks mama.” Dani sprung from Melindas lap and took off into the kitchen. The little girl ever seemed to be able to sit still. 

“Hold up little lady!” Melinda called into the kitchen. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I wanna show Mrs.Bell my costume.” Dani called back, referring to their elderly next door neighbour who had a particular soft spot for Dani. 

Mrs.Bell’s husband died recently and she never had grandchildren. The elderly woman sort of adopted Dani as her honorary granddaughter. Mrs.Bell was a lively full of life woman who loved sharing her record collection and gourmet cooking with the Coulson-May family. 

“Ok but come right back and stay where I can see you”. Melinda said, walking into the kitchen. Mrs.Bell was one of the only people she trusted to be around her small daughter, but still Melinda was always hesitant to let Dani out of her sight.

“I will, I promise.” Dani replied with a smile before excitedly bounding out the patio door and into the back yard. 

Melinda watched as Dnai ran past the windows and up the stairs of the neighbours back deck. Dani excitedly rambled to Mrs.Bell who beamed brightly at the small child. Melinda felt warm hands slide up her sides and Phil whispered in her ear. “We got a pretty great kid didn’t we?”

Melinda turned around her chest flush with Phil's, her brown eyes meeting his blue ones. “Yeah we did.” Melinda smiled dopely. Phil was dressed in his grey suit with a white dress shirt and no tie. He looked incredible, Melinda bit her lip. “Don’t go.”

Phil ran his hands down Melinda’s arms. He then kissed her slowly and lovingly. “I’m sorry but I have to.” he smiled before kissing her cheek then the tip of her nose and then bringing his lips down to hers to kiss the pout off her face. They kissed sweetly for a moment before Phil pulled away reaching for his keys and sliding them off the island. He wiggled free from Melinda’s grasp and made his way to the front door. “I will see you later.” 

Melinda listened to the sound of lola pull out of the driveway. She was now alone in the kitchen. Dani was still across the yard chatting Mrs.Bell’s ear off, so Melinda took the time to formulate a plan. It was common knowledge Melinda May was the queen of pranks. Her legacy of pulling off extremely elaborate pranks such as filling all the shower heads in the men's locker room with slime still lived on. The kids at the academy all knew of the infamous prankster that was Melinda May. Now that she was at the Triskelion her pranks had increased tenfold. Halloween was her day to pull off the best prank yet, but she would need to call in reinforcements. She reached for the phone and dialed the office number for one Clint Barton.

Clint picked up almost immediately. “Hey agent May it's been forever, how are you?”

Melinda rolled her eyes. “Barton I talked to you last week.”

“A week is a long time to go without talking to your favourite protege”. Melinda could feel Clint’s cocky smile through the phone.

“Favourite is not a term I would use to describe you Barton”. She rolled her eyes.

“Oh come on May! Don’t you want the world to know you trained the amazing Hawkeye”. Clint replied a little too enthusiastically. 

“I’m sorry Barton, but training off brand robin hood is not something I want to shout from the rooftops. You might be damn good with a bow and arrow, but other than that you are no better than any other agent i've trained”. Melinda stated flatly, without missing a beat.

“Damn may, that was cold even for you. I'm deeply offended just so you know”. Clint dramatically feigned offence while holding in a smile.

“Oh get over it Barton. I called because I think it's time I finally let you in on a time honoured tradition”. Melinda said, a flutter of excitement in her chest.

“Oh my god! Is this what I think it is? After years of begging are you finally letting me learn the ways of Melinda May prank extraordinaire!”

“Meet me at the loading dock in an hour”. Melinda hung up the phone and got to work putting together the perfect plan. 

Melinda loaded all of her pranking equipment into the back of her Shield issued SUV and then packed Dani into the car. She strapped the four year old into her carseat and handed her a collection of Captain America action figures. “Mama where are we going?” 

Melinda walked around the car and slid into the driver's seat. “We’re going to the Triskelion.” 

“Are we going to see daddy?” Dani asked as she crashed two of her action figures together.

“No Dani bear, we are not going to see daddy.”

There was a moment of silence before Dani spoke again. “Mama why is there a clown in the car?”

Melinda cracked a small smile, but kept her eyes faced forward; her plan was truly dubious. “You will see when we get there.”

* * *

Melinda pulled her car into the sketchy back parking lot by the loading dock. She stopped, got out of the car, popped the trunk and began to fill a small tactical backpack with all of her gear. The small stuff was easy to conceal in the backpack, but the real problem was how to conceal the 6 foot animatronic clown that was currently in her back seat. Melinda spun around when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. 

“Agent May! Long time no see.” Clint called, jogging down the cargo ramp.

Clint stopped when he reached Melinda. His eyes drifted to the contents of the trunk. The stories about his S.O’s pranks were legendary but in the 3 years since she took him under her wing he had never actually seen the prankster in action. 

After his brush with the law, Shield recruited Clint. Fury thought he would be better helping to protect the world from looming evil instead of living out a prison sentence. He was opposed to the idea at first but eventually Shield grew on him. Melinda May was a big part of what made him stay. Melinda was notorious among good and bad guys alike. She was on the Shield shortlist since she was sixteen, hand picked by Peggy Carter herself. She was top of her class at the academy and was promoted to a level 3 agent within her first year. Melinda May was a complete bad ass, but it was not her accomplishments that made Clint like her. Sure her badassery was great and all but it was her quiet yet strong demeanour that made him stay. 

By the time he met May he burned through 3 S.O’s with his nasty attitude and standoffish demeanour. He figured the small aisan woman would last a week tops and then Fury would realize he wasn’t agent material and he could get on with his prison sentence. Despite all of his tactics he couldn’t seem to drive May away. Unlike the other S.Os he had been paired with May was calm and patient. She wouldn't stand for his attitude but she also didn’t give up on him. She had her field work and a husband and a baby, yet she still met him every morning to train.

After a while he gave up on trying to push her away and he gave into the feeling of security he felt around her. She didn’t force him to talk out his problems or try to delve into the complexities of his psyche. May was just there as a guiding force. She taught him how to shoot something other than a bow and she taught him how to fight. She even let him in on a few secrets of how she does the whole zen warrior thing.

Despite their banter, Clint liked Melinda; he even thought of her as an older sister and though Melinda would never admit it she saw Clint as a baby brother. When he first fell under her supervision he was a broken person with a bad attitude and no real cause to fight for. Melinda helped him with all the knowledge she had and when you work so hard on trying to help someone it's hard not to care about them. Melinda was proud of her work with Barton and though she kept it well hidden she really did care about him.

“Whoa May this is insane,” Clint exclaimed. “You just have all this stuff laying around?”

“I like to be prepared. First rule of becoming a master prankster is to always be ready for anything,” Melinda said with a glimmer of mischief in her eye. Clint beamed back at her like a kid in a candy store.

  
  
  


As she originally suspected moving the clown throughout the busy hallways of the Triskelion was not an easy task. Agents eyed her as she pushed the moving trolley across the concrete floors. Luckily for her she brought along the world's greatest distraction. Her daughter dressed in a costume. Agents stopped to make comments and give praise over Dani’s adorable outfit, drawing attention away from the large clown covered in a white sheet they were transporting through the halls. 

“Do you really think its the best idea to use your daughter as a distraction?” Clint questioned whilst slipping into an empty elevator. 

“You gotta start them young and besides she loves it right Dani?” Melinda said looking down at her daughter who was grinning from ear to ear.

“I do.” Dani assured. “They treat me like a princess around here.”

Both Melinda and Clint couldn’t help but crack a smile at Dani's words. “What are you wearing for trick or treating uncle clint?” Dani questioned looking up at him, her brown eyes filled with curiosity. 

“Oh kiddo I don’t really do the whole Halloween costume, trick or treat thing anymore. I will probably go to a bar and find- ouch,” Clint jumped when Melinda’s elbow made contact with his ribs.

“Remember you're talking to a child right,” Melinda growled, giving him her patented death glare. 

“Right,” he chuckled nervously, “I don’t really do Halloween but your costume looks incredible little miss”.

“I know,” Dani replied with absolute certainty.

Melinda smiled and Clint began to laugh loudly. “Jesus May she is exactly like you. Agent Coulson must have his hands full with you two”.

“Shut up Barton.” Melinda tossed another elbow into his ribs.

  
  


Eventually the trio reached their destination. The office of director Nicholas Fury. Phil informed Melinda that their meeting with the National Security Council would last about an hour. Melinda knew Fury well; he wouldn’t stay longer than the allotted hour, meaning they had about 50 minutes to get in and out.

“Um May how are we supposed to get in?” Clint questioned. “The door is locked.”

“We will use this.” Melinda reached into her pocket and produced a perfect copy of Fury’s security badge. She swiftly slid it across the scanner and the heavy metal door clicked open.

Clint stared at her, his mouth slightly agape. “Woah I can't believe that actually worked. Where did you get that?”

Melinda pressed her lips into a firm line. “A good spy never reveals her secrets.”

“May it is literally your job as my S.O to teach me your secret spy ways.”

Melinda rolled her eyes. “I am teaching you. Now pick up that stuff and hurry up we don’t have much time. 

They checked the hallway for any watchful eyes then slipped through the door to Fury’s office. They quickly got to work. 

“So what's the plan agent May?” Barton asked, pulling their equipment out of the backpack.

“We are going to rig the clown to the ceiling of Fury’s bathroom so when he opens the door it swings down and we listen as he screams like a little girl. Any questions?” May rolled the clown across the room.

“Nope no questions.” Clint shook his head while pulling rope from May’s backpack. After working in synchronised silence for a few moments Clint asked. “Are you really not gonna tell me how you got that key card?”

“All I will say is that if you want to become a master in the craft of pranks you should get friendly with the sci tech guys downstairs.” May answered not looking away from the task at hand. 

May climbed up on the sink of fury’s private bathroom. Slowly she slid out one of the ceiling panels and secured the rope tightly to the metal bracing. “Barton help me get the clown up here.” 

Together they hoisted the plastic clown into the opening in the ceiling. “Uh May, how are gonna make the clown pop out of the ceiling?”

May rolled her eyes at his line of questioning. Well I’m gonna screw hinges into this ceiling panel so it swings and you are gonna set the trip wire on the top of the door.”

“Oh good plan.” Clint shook his head approvingly 

“I know I came up with it.” Melinda replied, fiddling with the ceiling panel.

“Has anyone ever told you that you're awfully cocky agent May?” Clint boldly asked.

“Has anyone told you that you are a pain in the ass Barton?” Melinda roughly retorted, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly. 

“Yes you do every time I see you.” Clint replied, untangling the trip wire and securing one end to the top of the door. 

“Hey May, can I ask a question?” Clint asked abruptly.

“If I say no will you ask anyway?” Melinda said bluntly, her breath slightly laboured from holding herself up. 

“I guess I’ve always wondered why you didn’t give up on me. I went through three other SO and you were the only one who stuck around. Why is that?” Clint asked sincerely, hoping for an honest answer.

“Maybe I saw the good behind your tough exterior and thought you could make good in your life. Or maybe I was just too stubborn and bullheaded to quit on you.” Melinda looked down on him with a soft smile. It was an honest answer. 

“Awe May I didn’t think you cared.” Clint beamed.

“I never said I did.” Melinda glared down upon him like a hawk stalking its prey. “Now get to work on that tripwire time is ticking away 

“As you wish agent May” Clint knew the conversation was over and turned back to his task.

  
  


They worked quickly and eventually the prank was perfectly set. They made wick work of cleaning up the evidence. May slid the newly modified ceiling panel back in and the last step was to test and reset. “Would you like to do the honours?” May asked, looking to Clint who was beaming like a kid in a candy shop. 

Clint opened the bathroom door triggering the wire and releasing the clown from the ceiling panel. “Woah that’s awesome.” Clint looked in awe at the mannequin swinging from the ceiling 

“Pretty cool huh kid?” Clint noded in response. “Now take this.” May offered him a roll of toilet paper. “You and Dani can make a mess with that in the office. I will reset the clown.” 

“I thought the clown was the prank. Why are we messing up the office?” 

“The handbook of master pranking states you should never rest your optimal outcome on one prank. We mess up the office so Fury thinks that is the prank. He will be more caught off guard when he comes in here.” Melinda wisely remarked, throwing Clint a few more rolls.

Clint soaked up every word of knowledge May threw his way. He left the bathroom and entered the office where Dani was playing with her action figures on one of Fury’s large leather couches. He grabbed an extra roll of toilet paper and threw it in her direction. “Hey mini May you wanna help me make a mess?” 

Dani tossed her action figures aside, picking up the toilet paper roll. “Do you even have to ask?” Dani smiled her warm brown eyes gleaming with mischief. 

Clint and Dani tossed the toilet paper throughout the room covering chairs and bookshelves. Dani giggled gleefully when Clint wrapped the toilet paper around her waist. “Look mini May now you're a mummy.” 

Dani struggled to escape the confines of the toilet paper. Her face scrunched with frustration, pulling the white sheets from off her shirt. Clint laughed as she struggled. “Need some help there mini May.”

Dani stared at him giving him a death stare that sent shivers down his spine. Damn May really was rubbing off on the little girl. The look was identical to the one Clint would receive when he was late to meet May for training. 

“I hate you uncle Clint,” Dani exclaimed, her voice laced with attitude. Dani crossed her arms across her chest and stared Clint down.

Clint simply smiled at the little girl. “We both know that's not true. You love me Daniella.”

Dani tried to keep her face stoic but she couldn’t help but smile when Clint swooped her up in his arms, swinging her around. She giggled putting her arms out like an air plane as the pair zoomed across the room. 

Melinda watched quietly from the doorway, not wanting to disrupt the adorable scene unfolding in front of her. Clint was surprisingly great with kids. Dani adored him from the first day he strangled home with Melinda for a home cooked meal. It warmed Melinda’s heart to see Clint happily dancing around the room with her daughter. 

The version of Clint she was seeing was so very different from the man she met a handful of years ago. The man she met was angry and broken. His broken childhood and abusive father turned him into a warrior with no cause. He assassinated any person he deemed to be evil, such as thieves, murderers, abusers and even corrupt politicians. Shield chased him for a year before finally catching him. When he fell upon Melinda’s radar the organization was ready to throw him in prison never to see the light of day again. Melinda couldn’t let that happen. She saw a side of him worth saving. Though his methods were medieval he wanted the same thing as her, to keep the world safe from the people who lurked in the shadows. 

When Melinda first met him he had chased off any agent who tried to help him. Clint was defiant and combative; he was lost and didn’t want anyone to help him. Any sane person would have let him rot, but Melinda saw a glimmer underneath the warriors exterior. It took a while but eventually Clint accepted that Melinda wouldn’t be easily chased away. She helped him clean up his act, officially join Shield and she taught him everything she knew. Over time he went from being Hawkeye, feared assassin and wanted man, to Clint Barton agent of Shield.

Much to her dismay Clint had wormed his way into Melinda’s guarded heart. She saw the boyish man as somewhat of a younger brother. After his training concluded Clint was transferred out from her command. She was no longer really his SO, yet she found herself calling him quite often just to check up on him. Clint became a member of her small little family. He was her adopted little brother and Dani’s uncle Clint. If asked she would never admit it, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Melinda cleared her throat getting the attention of the children playing in front of her. Both Clint and Dani’s heads snapped in the direction of the sound. Clint sat Dani down slowly and they shared a warm smile. “You still hate me mini May?” Clint questioned a cocky smile plastered across his face. 

Dani responded by jumping into his arms again and hugging him as tightly as her small arms would allow. “No I don’t hate you.” 

“That's what I thought.” Clint placed a soft kiss on the little girl's forehead and then lowered her back to the ground.

Dani excitedly scampered over to where her mother was watching attentively. “Is it ready Mama? 

“Yeah it is, but it's gonna be ruined if we don’t get out of here before Fury gets back.” Melinda hurried them along. They cleaned up all extra materials packing them back into Melinda’s backpack. They had about five minutes to spare and were about to slip out the door when Clint stopped.

He leaned down picking something up off the floor. He held up a small pendant on a chain. “Is this one of yours?”

Melinda stopped abruptly, an unfamiliar feeling washing over her. She knew who’s necklace it was. It was Dani’s necklace which she was instructed to never remove under any circumstances. It had dampeners to suppress her powers. She was to always wear it, not because her family was afraid of what she could do, but because they were afraid of what might happen if people knew about her special abilities.

As she grew, Dani's abilities became clear to Phil and Melinda. The scientists were right when they predicted Dani would be telepathic. Dani could read whatever thoughts were at the front of a person's mind. With touch her powers became stronger. She could hear and visualize a person's past thoughts and even some memories. Dani’s powers were still relatively subdued and they believed they would only grow stronger with age. It was imperative that no one knew that Dani was different from any other four year old. 

The necklace was special technology. As long as it was around her neck it would block Dani’s powers. Melinda was obsessive about Dani always wearing the necklace. Melinda was never a mean or over bearing mother, but the necklace was not something she took lightly. 

Melinda calmly took the necklace from Clint. Once it was in her hand she turned to Dani. “Daniella want to tell me how your necklace ended up on the floor.”

Dani could tell from the change in tone her mother was not happy. She struggled to meet Melinda’s eyes. Moving further into the corner she answered sheepishly. “I took it off. It didn’t go with the costume, so i put it in my pocket. It must have fallen out.”

Melinda looked at her daughter not able to explain what she was feeling. There was so much that the little girl didn’t understand. Melinda tried to stay level headed, but the terror she had felt just that morning crept into her mind. “What is the rule about the necklace?” Melinda asked, holding loosely to her composure.

Dani stared down at the cream carpeted floor. “I never take it off. No matter what.” 

“That's right you never take it off, ever.” Melinda’s hold on her emotions was slipping and her fear was presenting as anger. “I have one rule, Dani. One rule!” 

Melinda could hear the anger in her own voice. She never intended it to sound like that. Melinda could see the fear flood into Dani’s warm brown eyes. Melinda never raised her voice. Dani was shaken by the change of her mothers tone. She knew her mom thought the necklace was a big deal but she was too young to understand why. In her mind the ability to delve into other people's minds was normal. It was what she had known her whole life. She didn’t understand the dangers of her simply existing.

Since she had taken the necklace off that morning her mind had been abuzz with thoughts that weren't her own, but they were a faint whisper easily ignored. Now thoughts were streaming into her head. They were Melinda’s. Dani was too young to understand the complexities of her mothers thoughts, but she did understand each one was laced with terror. 

A tear slipped down Dani’s face and Melinda understood what she had done. Dani looked up at her remorsefully “I’m sorry mama.” it came out barely a whisper.

Melinda dropped to the knees hating herself for scaring her daughter. She placed a hand under Dani’s chin, raising Dani’s eyes to meet hers. “No, I'm sorry for scaring you.” Melinda stroked her daughter's curly brown locks. “It's just really important to me that you always wear the necklace. Ok, can you do that?”

Dani sniffled once before nodding slowly. Melinda whipped the tear from Dani’s face and pulled her in tightly to her chest. Dani relaxed against her mothers strong arms. She knew that Melinda didn’t mean to make her afraid she just wanted to keep her safe. “I love you Mama.”

Melinda pulled back so Dani could see the soft loving smile on her face. She reached her arms around Dani and secured the pendant back around her neck. “I Love you too baby, now we better get out of here before Fury gets back.”

Clint stared dumbfoundedly having no understanding of the events unfolding before him. Melinda stood up, holding tightly to Dani’s hand. “You coming Barton?” 

He had about a million questions about what just happened but something about the look on May’s face stopped him from asking. Melinda was smiling and chatting with Dani about how funny it would be when fury came face to face with the clown in his bathroom, yet Clint could sense that something else was hidden under the smile. It was not often he saw the look he had seen moments ago. Melinda May looked terrified.

Silently they walked to the door, preparing to leave when they heard the familiar footsteps of Nick Fury stomping down the hallway.

“Damn it Fury’s coming. We need an alternate exit plan.” Melinda exclaimed, scanning the room for a different exit. 

“I have an idea mama. I will distract Fury and you and Clint can use your spy skills and go out the window.” Dani wisely suggested.

Melinda smiled proudly at her daughter’s beyond her years intellect. “That's my girl. Let's do it.”

Clint looked at Melinda like she was insane. “You wanna go out the window! We’re on the fiftieth floor May!”

“Oh come on Clint we are spies don’t be a baby.” Melinda dragged him to the widow. Clint gulped at the sight of the drop. Melinda cracked the window and Dani slipped into the hallway.

  
  
  


Fury walked quickly down the halfway clad in his leather trench coat and plain black eye patch. Any child would be terrified by him except Dani; she knew he was a softie. 

Fury gave a puzzled look when he saw the small daughter of Phil Coulson and Melinda May slip out of his office. “Little miss Coulson what are you doing here?” Fury approached the small girl placing his hands dramatically on his hips. 

Dani put on her most charming smile, hoping to buy her mother as much time as possible. “Hello Mr. Fury.”

Fury stared down upon the small child at his feet. People weren't wrong when they compared her to her mother. Dani Had her eyes, her nose, her determined free spirited attitude, but she smiled just like her father. She was also the only child in the world who wasn’t afraid of Nick Fury. Sure he looked big and tough, however Dani knew he was really a big softie. “Hello Dani. I will ask again, what are you doing up here all alone?”

Dani masterfully put on her most adorable innocent look before responding. “I was looking for my Daddy”. Dani lied twisting her pigtail around her tiny finger.

“Oh I see.” Nick shoved his hands in his coat pocket, raising an eyebrow at Dani. “And what made you think he would be here”.

Dani looked up at Fury taking a subtle breath before attempting to sell her lies. “Well mama said that he was in a meeting with you so I thought maybe he would come back with you.

Fury looked down upon the girl again. He couldn't lie. The small child really was quite convincing. The way she spoke with strong eye contact and a smooth tone were the beginnings of a master liar, but he was Nick freaking Fury. No lie would ever get past him.

Fury eyed the scene in front of him. It was Halloween and standing before him was the daughter of Shield’s most notorious prankster. This was no coincidence. Fury looked closer at Dani. There was still toilet paper wrapped around her torso from her fight with Clint. He knew immediately what was going on and truthfully he hadn’t suspected any less. Melinda May was pranking him from the moment she met him so why not start her daughter young. Keeping his strong powerful demeanour, Fury knelt down to Dani’s level. “Your mother taught you well, but I'm sorry kid no one lies to me.

Dani feigned a look of shock. “What makes you think i'm lying?”

Fury shook his head dramatically at Dani. “I’m Nick Fury I know everything”. Fury dropped his harsh demeanor offining a small smile and a poke to Dani’s ribs. “Now why don’t we go see what havoc your mom has managed to cause.

Dani knew the jig was up. She could only hope she bought them enough time to get out of the office. After jumping into Fury’s waiting arms they walked into the office. Thankfully her mother and uncle were nowhere to be found. Fury scanned his eyes across the office. Toilet paper was draped over every corner. He was quite impressed and he hadn't even seen the real prank yet. “Your mother really out did herself.”

Dani smiled mischievously. “You have no idea”.

“Ok good one May you can come out now.” Fury called to the empty room. 

For a few moments there was silence until Dani registered the sound of soft footsteps behind them. Melinda May materialized behind them. “Did you call for me Fury? I was just coming to find Dani.” Melinda lied smoothly. 

Fury looked at her sceptically. “Sure you are. I really have to hand it to you may, bypassing my security system and then TPing my office. Your pranks get better every year.”

May bounced on the balls of her feet. “I don’t know what you're talking about sir. I was visiting Clint. Though quite clever this prank, it's not my handy work.

Technically she wasn’t lying. The act of throwing toilet paper all over the director's office was carried out by Clint and Dani.

Fury walked around his desk clearing the toilet paper from his large leather chair. He stared disapprovingly at the three children in front of him. “Maybe you didn’t May but something about Clint’s lack of eye contact is telling me he knows who did.”

Clint was nervously tapping his foot and staring at the floor. Melinda rolled her eyes. Of course Clint would be the reason she got caught. 

Excitement flared in her chest when Fury made his way towards the bathroom, a ball of toilet paper in hand. Melinda knew that was where the only trash can was. She continued to deny Fury’s accusations, Watching closely as he slowly turned the knob. The heart rate quicked and she wrapped her hand around the camera in her pocket. Fury was right to say she has outdone herself; he just hadn’t seen it yet. Fury pulled the door open, tripping the wire and sending the clown swinging from the ceiling.

Nick Fury jumped backwards into his wooden desk, pulling out his firearm and sending four shots into the face of bobo the clown. Melinda snapped the perfect photo of Fury screaming like a girl and then doubled over laughing. Fury turned to Melinda, hell fire in his eyes. That look could only mean one thing. 

“Run!” Melinda exclaimed, grabbing Dani and making a break for the door. 

Together the trio ran down the long hallway and crashed into the open elevator sweaty and out of breath. They could still hear Fury cursing as the heavy metal doors closed. One in the safety of the elevator they let their laughter loose. Melinda laughed so hard her abs began to ache. “Did you see his face?”

Melinda relished in the feeling of successfully completing a prank. She lived for the rush of adrenaline that came with the thrill of being caught. This prank was truly one to outshine all others and by morning, if the tech guys did their part, every Shield agent would open their computers to see a beautiful picture of the Director screaming like a girl.

Clint wiped a tear from his eye “I'm surprised he didn’t soil himself. It's official you are the coolest person in the world.”

Melinda smiled warmly at Clint’s words “Aww thanks Barton. I didn’t think you cared.”

Clint looked at Melinda trying not to smile. “I never said I did ”.

Melinda smiled but rolled her eyes dramatically, elbowing Clint in the ribs.


End file.
